EU Commission lowers Chromium VI in toy materials

The new Commission Directive 2018/725 has amended the Toy Safety Directive by lowering Chromium VI migration limit in scraped-off toy materials, such as paints, hard and soft polymers, wood and textiles.

The new limit is set at 0,053 mg/kg, considerably curbing the previous limit of 0.2 mg/kg; and the EU Member States have until 17 November 2019 to implement the Commission Directive.

The adopted value nevertheless remains higher than the one initially proposed by the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER). Chromium VI is considered toxic with irritating properties and potentially triggering allergic reactions when inhaled or when in contact with oral mucosa. It is also considered carcinogenic.

The adopted limit is due to restricted detection capability of state of art test methods. The European Commission therefore decided to conduct assessments of Chromium VI test methods every two years in order to monitor relevant developments in measurement technology. Thus, it is foreseeable that the new levels will be re-discussed by the SCHER in parallel to the evolution of current testing methods. This might lead to lowering Chromium VI limits to the target level of 0.0094 mg/kg or even more in the next years.

If you wish to know more about the limits of Chromium VI in toys, please do not hesitate to contact us. Obelis Expert Consultants, having nearly 30 years of experience with EU Regulations, will gladly answer any question you may have.

Get in touch

Share This

Copy Link to Clipboard

Copy